How will Genie/Genie+/LL Change your Park Strategies?

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

I think it's safe to say that most of us around here are less than thrilled with these changes, but this is the reality now whether we like it or not. For those us not cancelling trips (I for one am committed to a dvc rental in the spring, so cancelling isn't really an option, how do you foresee the new system(s) changing your park strategies?

I know for me, it means that rope drop will probably be priority, as will the deluxe/dvc evening magic hours. The whole park-pool-park structure we've always done will have to change. If we're paying for Genie+ for the day (assuming we don't have to pay for the length of stay), then the days we DO have Genie+ will wind up being more commando-style days without mid-day breaks (tough luck for my little ones, I guess they'll have to get used to the stroller nap) and we'll wind up with a few actual full rest days. This could help even out the budgetary difference if you're willing to skip a few park days to make up for the nickel and diming for Genie+ and LL.

I'm curious what all of your thoughts are on this.

 

[loves to dive]

Probably won't change a thing. We most likely won't buy the $15 upgrade and most definitely won't buy the other one. We rarely used FP when it was free since riding rides isn't a huge priority for us and we really don't mind waiting in line. It has never been about seeing how many rides we can get done and rushing from ride to ride for us. We also don't rope drop unless we just so happen to be up and ready to go. We did used to like the evening EMHs and since we tend to stay in Swan/Dolphin those will still be available to us so we will most likely use those. I might look at the app when I'm looking for somewhere to eat that has walk up available but that is probably it. We don't even use the wait times on MDE now, we go to a ride and if it looks like it's moving pretty fast, or we just want to ride it, we get in line.

 

[yorkieteacher]

Luckily, our next trip isn't until January 2023, and we will see how all this rolls out. Currently, I am thinking we will get to MK 30 minutes early as an on-site guest and head for one of the "paid" attractions to try to avoid an extra charge. . We will get Genie Plus and begin seeing how the attractions on that stack up. We will most likely stay for a shorter time in WDW, maybe 1 day in MK and split a day between a HS morning and park hop to Epcot. We would not use Genie + there, but maybe buy into Remy and SDD depending on the price. Hopefully we could rope drop a Genie + attraction at HS that morning that could mean longer lines later, like TOT or MMRR. We have been there/done that several times in Galaxy's Edge, and can honestly skip it as we are not huge Star Wars fans. We would just queue up for Soarin' and Froze, as we are also over Test Track. We will wait and see about Guardians and Tron-

 

[Miffy]

We will be RDing a lot, which means no more full, hot breakfast at the resort--something I look forward to and enjoy at WDW but that we couldn't do during our trip this past May anyway, since we had to RD every park in order to avoid long lines.

I wonder if this is going to end park-hopping for us, if, for example, the attractions we're interested in won't still have G+s available by the time we get to park #2. Hmmm.

And we'll be paying for things we didn't previously pay for. How much are we willing to pay? That remains to be seen. I cannot imagine paying $50/person to ride FoP, my favorite ride. It might end up that we'll ride our favorites a lot less, which is how it went in May.

 

[Sjm9911]

Honestly, i think it will be a mess. Rope drop everyone will head to 7 dwafs. Why, because its the hardest to get on and will not be offered in the 15 $ pricing. So, before less people went there first, and that was a lot, because the others had fast passes. People will ignore the ap sending you to the lesser crowded places as they will think the lines will be longer later. If you start off on the other stuff you may have a chance. Lol.

 

[honeymo78]

Not anticipating any changes for any of our 3 trips planned next year and it likely won't have launched before my next and last trip for this year. Probably will purchase G+ for at least one visit to each park, but probably not for 2nd or 3rd park days - looking at you Epcot. Maybe will buy a time slot for FOP, otherwise will just wait in line like we've been doing so far this year. We will still rope drop only when/if we feel like it and take mid-day breaks.

 

[OhBother1984]

Probably won't change much. We may buy it a day here or there, but otherwise we will do the same as we always do. We never cared for FP+ and had many days where we barely used it. We don't stay for week long trips usually 2-3 nights so popular rides we never could get good times for or very rarely and the rest honestly most of the time the lines were fine at different times of the day.

 

[jsmla]

I’m a natural early riser so, not much. I’ll rope drop my favorite LL+ attractions and purchase Genie + if I think I need it. Rise of the Resistance, Space Mt and Test Track have never been a priority with me and that helps.

 

[thptrek]

We have an October trip and are starting to think about this. We will pay for the Genie+ and we will pay for ROTR and FOP but that is about it. We are DVC so we will utilize the nighttime extra hours.

Probably will get up at 7am to pick our first Genie+ for mid morning timing. So for us, we like the new system.

 

[MJ6987]

I'm basically waiting to see what Touring Plans say about the impact and what the optimum strategy is going forward - I suspect it will be pretty much as now, but let's see

 

[cakebaker]

It's hard to know for sure until they come out with more details but....We will definitely be staying Deluxe or DVC to take advantage of the EMH's and EE- the evening hours will allow us to knock out rides they want to charge extra for and quite a few of the ones we would otherwise have to schedule. We'll also start doing rope drop again so we can re-ride things we like without having to try and get them all scheduled in.

Using the emh's, ee and rope drop should lighten the need to be so scheduled all day. We'll still stick with park hopping. Rope drop one park, get some secondary rides out of the way without scheduling, then schedule rides until just after lunch, take an afternoon break and head to the evening park where we'd most like have made our paid reservations for. The paid for's are a question mark until we see exactly what they cost- under $20 and I can stand it. Any more than that and it's a no for me. We'll just have to get those during emh's and rope drop for anything not open during that time.

But for now, there really is no plan because we aren't returning until they bring back all the things we love- Parades, shows, dessert buffets- maybe even an After Hours here and there.

 

[Grym]

wait and see for now as details emerge and we see the first months of it in action.

but I'm thinking there is no longer any reason to stay at a Disney property for my family.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

One refrain I keep seeing is how this is affecting the calculus of the “benefit” of staying on-site. I can see - after a bit of grumbling from the resorts side of the ledgers - that G+ is given as a “perk” to Deluxe or other resort guests.

 

[DisLiss]

I doubt it will change much at all. Previously we've relied more on the time of year we visit than Fast passes when dealing with wait times. I've never been one to make a week's worth of available fast passes ahead of time. A very few ADRs are about all we're willing to commit to ahead of time. We liked Fast Passes best when we used paper ones!

I don't like having to use a phone terribly often while in a park, which is another reason for us to not really wish to embrace the Genie.

There's no way we'll give up our breaks midday. I don't see the point of paying additional costs to make the trip better for us in one area, only to opt to make it worse in another area. And for us, giving up our midday break would definitely have a negative affect on our trip. So I would never purposely choose to do that.

We already get up early, so needing to be up at 7am to opt in to Genie+ for the day if we do wish to do so will be no inconvenience or change for us.

We already used rope drop as a strategy and still will. Likewise, we'll use end of day as a strategy, too, just like we always have. (Which is why we love our break so much! )

We aren't terrible impatient people, so I'm sure there are times on lower crowd days when we simply won't feel the need for the $15 portion of the Lightning Lane usage, and the price per ride will entirely depend on the rides and the current price. I imagine people will be closely tracking what prices are and then offering guesses about future prices just as they do crowds, so we may at least have some guestimate ahead of time and therefore an idea in our heads ahead of time about if we might possibly bother with it.

I have absolutely no intention of using the itinerary portion of the genie. We've never had an itinerary in the parks and if we ever reach a point where we felt one was absolutely necessary, we'd probably simply stop going.

We already work in one or two non-park days, and I expect that will stay the same.

Really, it's the park reservations and decreased Hopper flexibility that will have the greatest impact on our future trips. We're pretty spontaneous Disney goers and those parameters mess with that a bit. So I worry about those more than than the Genie system.

 

[ChanaC]

I like others am going to wait and see, but it seems like I'll have to recalibrate a lot of plans. This is when the vloggers and blogs can be really helpful, so you can see what they do and then what you should do to maximize time. One big thing that might change my plans is how the virtual queues will be affected. It looks like Remy might have one. I'm planning a really short trip and am looking at doing a Hollywood Studios and Epcot park hop day. It will be interesting to see if we need to get on the virtual queues for both RotR and Remy, or if we can now just get in a line for them, or if we might need to pay for the lightening pass to realistically get on both in one day.

 

[tinkerhon]

I know one things is for certain--- I wont be purchasing any LL rides that are over $10--- yes, I realize that will probably insure not getting LL for ROTR (if it is offered), and/or FOP, but we've already gone on those attractions--- many times, in the case of FoP, and I would much rather spend that $30 at a nice lunch at "Satu'li- !!! Just as an example ---

 

[DSLRuser]

depends on how it is implemented. if it makes trying to ride stand by an hour plus failure again......we will have to bite the bullet and pay the stupid fee

I am sure Disney is going to structure it so you basically have to pay the fee if you want to enjoy your day.

It is sad......things are great now with no fast pass.....people all have an equal shot at riding the same rides. I dont even mind the close to $200 a day park tickets. But now raising the price another $15 and taking away the ability to ride stand by, just sucks.

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

I'm traveling with 10 people, 1 day at each park. I expect the only park where people will get this are Hollywood Studios though we would probably do so at MK were it not for the fact that we'll be at Boo Bash and hope/expect shorter lines already. One of the issues I'll have are some people in my group may not want to get it as they aren't going to be riding the rides much anyway. So do they now get in line for MFSR when others have the Genie+ knowing they won't be getting on until much, much later and the rest of the group will therefore have to wait? Or do they forego the ride entirely? These are discussions my family will have to have but they add a complication to a vacation where complications are unwelcome.

 

[JZCubed]

I think it's safe to say that most of us around here are less than thrilled with these changes, but this is the reality now whether we like it or not. For those us not cancelling trips (I for one am committed to a dvc rental in the spring, so cancelling isn't really an option, how do you foresee the new system(s) changing your park strategies?

I know for me, it means that rope drop will probably be priority, as will the deluxe/dvc evening magic hours. The whole park-pool-park structure we've always done will have to change. If we're paying for Genie+ for the day (assuming we don't have to pay for the length of stay), then the days we DO have Genie+ will wind up being more commando-style days without mid-day breaks (tough luck for my little ones, I guess they'll have to get used to the stroller nap) and we'll wind up with a few actual full rest days. This could help even out the budgetary difference if you're willing to skip a few park days to make up for the nickel and diming for Genie+ and LL.

I'm curious what all of your thoughts are on this.

Every family will adapt to their own needs, wants, and desires.

Like you, our typical day revolved around 4-hour Park excursions that included the legacy Fast Pass Plus (FP+), with pool time and/or shopping in Disney Springs.

We typically split-stay to be able to walk to/from our resort into the Parks (other than Animal Kingdom).

We'd maybe have a morning or evening add-on (i.e., Dessert Party, Toy Story Land breakfast, Tiffins to get Rivers of Light tickets, etc.) while staying at each resort. We are hopeful add-ons return.

We typically enjoy one Signature meal each day, in addition to another sit-down (because my family dislikes buffets and fast food).

The new:
Not clear to me if Genie+ will allow late-day scheduling or just allows 'get here soon' ride reservations (FP-). Will it be reminiscent of legacy paper fast passes where you kinda' had no idea what your return time was going to be or the techno FP+ scheduling?

I'm bothered by the need to be awake at 7am for the ridiculous Virtual Queues that 'sell out' in literally seconds.

I feel doubly silly waking at 7am to pay for the privilege, which I can thankfully afford, of riding E-ticket rides.

Seems rather insulting that Disney has offered no indication of the range of prices for Lightening Lanes.

Will the Disney algorithm of Lightening account for my dining plans? Will a family be able to make 'reservations' for rides at, let's say, 5pm for Flight of Passage in order to make their 6pm reservation at Tiffins? Or the reverse, will you want to honor your Tiffins plan if you cannot get a Lightning reservation for Flights of Passage?

Frankly, we don't necessarily want to be in the Park at rope drop or early afternoon if we have a dinner plan in the Park to catch the fireworks/shows - will Lightening let us chose the times that work best for our needs or will there be limitations?

And nobody should have much faith in Disney's ability to manage the technology without horror stories. Always amazed me the degree to which the available restaurant reservations times were 15-minutes over/under the time you actually requested. Was this done on purpose or should we all expect more bad algorithms for an experience being further and further 'enhanced' with glitchy tech design?

What's the penalty for cancelling a Lightening reservation?

If the ride breaks or experiences closure due to rain, folks will feel further insulted for paying for the privilege of inconvenience.

My family can afford to pay, but will only do so if there is some certainty. Right now, the only things I am certain of is having to awake before 7am for the privilege of paying more to work more for my vacation fun.

Like you, I'm leaning towards the notion of fewer Park days, not because I can't afford to pay more money, but getting back to a resort after Extra Magic Hours, hard ticket events, or a nighttime show and then having to awake before 7am to schedule my next day is no longer a vacation. The result could be Disney gets less money from my family - because there is no certainty that we can accomplish as much as we did before. Moreover, after our first visit this summer, Universal is our new add-on.

Like many DVC owners (or folks who use 'points' at hotels like Swan & Dolphin), and particularly if you dine out in big city restaurants - the cost of a Disney vacation is not outrageously priced. But if the Star Wars hotel pricing and these new petty add-on costs (both of time & money) are any indication of the future, then my family is OK not going to Disney. It's not the money, it's the lack of certainty even after we've committed to Disney.

FWIW, I believe that the new system will initially have the desired impact of reducing log jammed crowds in the Parks (when it's not fireworks). But as soon as Disney figures this all out, they will just increase the capacity and ruin the fun all over again.

Restaurants and airlines get completely booked - they don't then put tables & seats in the aisles to squeeze more profits. For the life of me, I cannot understand the greed that is required to sell more and more tickets to people who must frequently leave Disney feeling ripped off - because even at $250 for a day ticket, they were treated like lesser human beings without access to bells & whistles. Or worse, your phone breaks while on vacation.

 

[DisneyFive]

We have always stayed on site, and will continue to do so.

For me, besides the fact that we now have to pay for something we got free before, the biggest negative for on-site is the 7 AM reservation time. I don’t want to get up at 7 AM every morning of my vacation to make my first ride reservation. It is an advantage versus the offsite guests, but the ability to pre-book fast passes before our stay was one of the reasons why we liked FP+ versus paper Fastpass. We stay for a long period of time, the last few trips at 10 nights. We just can’t sustain getting up that early every day to make full use of the system.

I also wonder if they will force a wait from one ride to another using the G+ system. For instance if I ride haunted mansion, is there an automatic 30 minute or one hour window or more before I can ride another ride using the G+ system? I HOPE NOT!

Dan